CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Paddlers on the Cedar River now will be floating on designated waters.
The river, from Janesville to around La Porte City – about 46 miles – was formally recognized as a designated water trail last week as part of the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. Fourteen miles of Black Hawk Creek from Hudson to the Cedar River was also designated as an official water trail.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports members of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Black Hawk County Conservation, Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments and Partnership for A Healthy Iowa paddled from Washington Park in Cedar Falls to the Waterloo Boat House in celebration of the new identification.
Kayla Lyon, director of the Iowa DNR, said there are over 1,000 miles of designated water trails in the state.
The state’s first designated water trail was the Cedar Valley Paddler’s Trail in Black Hawk County, which begins at the Fisher Lake Boat Ramp.
The 10-mile trail was recognized in 2005. Peter Komendowski, executive director of the Partnership for A Healthy Iowa, said the waterway was first paddled by 26 eighth-graders and adults, which took over six hours.
It travels through a chain of lakes, down the Cedar River and through George Wyth State Park before looping back to the start.
“This has been 18 years in the making,” Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green said. “It’s exciting to see it come to life.”
Green also said the timing couldn’t be better – a reference to the river projects happening in Cedar Falls and Waterloo.
The designation is part of the Black Hawk County Water Trails Master Plan, the guide for projects along the river and creek.
Projects will also focus on the chain of lakes, which include Alice Wyth, Fisher, George Wyth, Shirley, Manatt and Brinker lakes.
Last month, INRCOG released its proposal for the Cedar Valley River Experience, which focuses on linking the downtowns of Waterloo and Cedar Falls through the river. INRCOG representatives were at Wednesday’s paddle event.
“It’s been a marathon … but it will open up a lot of opportunities,” said Nick Fratzke, the agency’s community development specialist. “We realized we had something right here.”
Vern Fish, the former executive director of the Black Hawk County Conservation Board and avid paddler, echoed INRCOG’s statement that the water trail designations will connect communities. He said members of the Meskwaki tribe first came to the area because of the water.
“Water has tied communities together since day one,” Fish said. “If we get people wet … you don’t have to go to the Arctic Circle or the tip of South America … you can go right here in our own backyard.”
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